


'Tis the Damn Season

by PennedByLynn



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Christmas, F/M, Holidays, Home for Christmas, Hurt/Comfort, Past Relationship(s), Post-High School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28096347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PennedByLynn/pseuds/PennedByLynn
Summary: After high school graduation, Lydia Martin fled Beacon Hills and never looked back. When she returns for the holidays years later, she runs into former flame Stiles Stilinski. Their complicated history and the nostalgic pull of their small town at Christmas collide. What happens they’re back in the same space, even if only for the week?Stiles/Lydia AU inspired by listening to evermore on repeat.
Relationships: Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	'Tis the Damn Season

Lydia took a deep breath as she turned off the ignition, allowing the keys to dangle as she gathered her thoughts. She watched as the bright lights decorating her mom’s house blinked and changed color. It was… enthusiastic bordering on garish. Growing up, the decorations had always been gold and silver, accented by crisp white twinkling lights. Her mom never would’ve allowed this explosion of color in the past.

She thought she was coming home for a traditional Christmas but the decorations were a blatant reminder of how much had changed since she’d left. In all honesty, she was surprised she’d made it this long without being dragged back to Beacon Hills. Lydia had almost made it through her entire college career without stepping foot in her hometown.

No point putting it off any longer though. It was only a week, after all. She could survive this.

As she popped the trunk and removed her suitcase, she heard the creak of the front door and an accompanying squeal.

“You’re here! My baby’s finally home for the holidays,” gushed Natalie Martin as she made her way down the path. She wrapped her daughter in a tight hug and Lydia relaxed for just a moment in the comfort of her embrace.

Pulling back, Lydia said, “Your baby is trying not to ruin a good hair day so let’s move in out of the fog, shall we?”

“How was the drive? Not too much traffic, I hope.” Her mom grabbed the handle of her suitcase as Lydia dug her purse and bookbag out of the front seat.

Crossing the threshold, Lydia was glad to see some familiar decorations up throughout the house.

“I asked David to pick up Bella Cucina for dinner. I knew you’d be dying for some of their signature garlic bread.” Natalie watched her with a hopeful expression.

Lydia’s smile slipped slightly, despite her best efforts to keep it in place. “Mom, you didn’t have to do that.”

“Oh it’s no problem at all! It was his idea actually. I tell him every time we go that it’s your favorite restaurant here. We’ve both just been looking forward to this visit so much.”

Lydia drew her mom in for another hug. “I’ve missed you so much, Mom,” she said, voice muffled by Natalie’s sweater.

Natalie pulled back to comb Lydia’s hair from her forehead. “Let’s drop everything off in your room and then I want to hear all about finals week. Oh! I almost forgot. Guess who I ran into yesterday?”

“I have no idea,” she replied honestly. So few people ever left this place. Her mom could be referencing virtually any person she’d ever interacted with while growing up.

“Allison Argent! She was so excited to hear you were coming back. She said to text her if you want to go out tonight.”

“Oh, no, I couldn’t ditch you on my first night home.” It _would_ be nice to catch up with Allison though. She missed her former best friend. Lydia was awful about staying in touch but Allison always made a point to reach out a couple times a year.

“Please, you know I can’t carry on a conversation past 9 PM. Besides, school might be out for the students but we have our last faculty meeting of the year tomorrow morning. You should go! Hang out with your friends, just like old times.”

_Friends_. Right. Lydia hadn’t spoken to anyone else from high school since graduation. She wasn’t interested in reconnecting with any of her other classmates but a night out with Allison did sound nice.

“Are you sure?” Lydia asked.

“Absolutely!” Her mother beamed at her. “I get you for a whole week. I think I can spare an evening. Now, tell me, were you able to talk that Statistics professor into re-evaluating your proposal?”  
____________________________________________________________________________

“Lydia Martin, in the flesh! You know we were all taking bets about whether or not you’d ever be back within Beacon Hills’ borders.” Allison greeted her with a broad grin and a warm hug.

“Yes, well, it wasn’t entirely by choice, believe me.” Lydia smiled ruefully as she shrugged off her coat and sat down in the booth across from Allison.

“Remind me to thank Natalie the next time I see her. Maybe if I slip her a twenty, I’ll be able to catch up with my friend before another decade passes.”

Lydia dropped her jaw in mock offense. “Hey, you know you have a standing invitation to visit me. I’d love to show you around the Bay. How’s school going?”

“Lassen University is no Stanford but it’s been challenging all the same. I stacked my class schedule this past semester so that I’d have a little free space in the spring for internships. Which, I’m proud to report, paid off because I’m going to be working with the Nature Conservancy starting in January.”

“That’s amazing!”

Allison grinned, clearly proud of the accomplishment. “Yeah I’m really excited to start. My mom’s about ready to disown me over it but I figure the Argent lineage has been responsible for hunting enough wildlife around here. It’s time one of us protected them for a change.”

Lydia was glad to see Allison doing so well. She didn’t have many regrets about shaking the dust of Beacon Hills from her stiletto boots but she’d never been happy with the distance she’d placed between her and Allison. She’d have to convince her friend to visit when the weather cleared up a bit.

The girls continued to chat, catching up as if no time had passed at all. Lydia talked about some of her more eccentric professors and Allison spilled all the small-town gossip.

“Another old fashioned?” Lydia asked. Allison nodded in response as Lydia rose from the booth.

Leaning on the bar, she let her eyes drift over the exposed wood and cheap Christmas decorations. She’d only ever been here once before, when Pack Mentality had hosted their annual grad night. Some schools went to Disneyland or Six Flags. The graduates of Beacon Hills High spent the evening drinking mocktails in a dive bar surrounded by chaperones.

The bell above the door jingled and Lydia turned her head at the sound. Her eyes widened at the boy walking through the doorway.

No, boy wasn’t quite accurate anymore, was it? The years had apparently been very kind to Stiles.

Lydia watched as he blew into his hands to warm them up, cheeks flushed from the chill outside. His hair had grown out a bit and was windswept in a way that seemed accidental but fitting. The collar on his coat was crooked but his outfit was shockingly coordinated otherwise.

She was caught off-guard by the ache that settled in her chest. She’d known there was a high probability of running into Stiles during this trip. But she’d never thought about what she’d do when she actually saw him.

This time 4 years ago, she would’ve sprinted over to him, the person who’d once been her closest companion. She could almost feel his warm arms surrounding her, could almost see the smile he’d always reserved just for her. Instead, all she felt was the draft from the broken door.

Turning quickly, she walked back to the booth empty-handed. Allison looked up from her phone in confusion.

“What happened to the drinks?” she asked.

“Stiles just walked in.” Lydia was really regretting walking away before ordering their drinks. She needed something to calm her fractured nerves.

Allison’s lips formed a small ‘o’ as she glanced towards the door. “What did you say to him?”

“Nothing! I just bee-lined it back here.” Lydia shook her head as she muttered, “I wasn’t expecting to see him tonight.”

“You do remember we only have one bar in town, right?” Allison raised her eyebrow, amusement dancing across her features.

“Well yeah but I guess I just figured maybe the universe would cut me a bit of slack for once in my life!” After all, she’d chosen to spend Christmas with her mom instead of accepting her dad’s offer of a cruise through the Mexican Riviera. Surely that had to come with some sort of karmic advantage.

“Have you talked to him since…” Allison trailed off.

“Since the day after graduation when he asked me to stay? No, I haven’t.”

“Come on, doesn’t everyone stalk their ex on Instagram these days?”

“Caught up with Isaac lately?” challenged Lydia.

“Fair enough,” Allison replied, raising her hands in surrender. “I’m happy to go get our drinks but for what it’s worth, I think you should just go say hi.”

“And say what exactly? _‘Sorry for breaking your heart and then running off without so much as a text message in the aftermath?’_ Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”

“It’s been three years, Lydia. A lot’s happened since high school.”

Lydia shook her head and bit the inside of her cheek. “He doesn’t want to see me.”

“You sure about that? Because he’s headed this way.”

Lydia barely had time to wipe the stunned expression from her face before Stiles arrived at their booth.

“I thought that was you! At first I figured my eyes were just playing tricks on me but you can’t really miss that strawberry blonde hair of yours.” His voice echoed off the wall behind them as Lydia took advantage of this chance to study him a bit more closely.

His face had lost some of its roundness, a hint of stubble lining his jaw. He stood taller, with more confidence to his stance, but he hadn’t lost his fondness for excessive hand gestures. He looked… well, he looked incredible.

Heart pounding in her chest, Lydia replied, “Hey, Stiles. It’s really good to see you.”

To her surprise, he leaned down to give her a hug. If she lingered for just a second too long inhaling the scent of his cologne, he didn’t seem to notice.

“I’m going to go grab those drinks,” said Allison, clearing her throat. “You want anything, Stiles?”

“Nah, my buddy already ordered me a pint. Thanks though.”

Once she left, Stiles slid into her space across the booth. He smiled and leaned on the table, seemingly at ease. Only someone who knew him well enough would recognize his nervous habit of drumming on the table was different from his typical frenetic energy.

“So what made you decide to grace Beacon Hills with your presence?”

Lydia noticed the way his eyes seemed to dart back and forth across her features, like he was still trying to confirm she was really there. She begged her voice to remain steady as she replied, “I’m staying at my mom’s for Christmas.”

“How’s she doing? I’m sorry I missed the wedding, by the way. I just couldn’t get out of work. The pictures looked great though.”

“Yeah, it was. Great, I mean. She and David seem really happy together. How’s your dad?” Lydia relaxed slightly as the conversation continued. She’d thought this would be awkward but talking with Stiles just felt so… natural.

“Same as ever. Proud sheriff of a sleepy little town. I did manage to get him hooked on Beyond burgers so that’s probably my greatest accomplishment of the year.”

Lydia widened her eyes in mock surprise as she teased, “Miracles do happen after all.”

Stiles’ eyes lingered on hers, searching. The years had dulled her memory of the depths that swam beneath them but she found herself getting lost once again.

Flashes of high school memories played in her head: afternoons spent off-roading in his jeep, movie nights cuddled underneath blankets, stolen kisses on the lacrosse field after a big game. Safe and thrilling, all at the same time.

Clearing his throat, Stiles rubbed his right hand across the back of his neck. “I guess I should get back to my co-workers. I did arrange this little outing, after all. Don’t want to be a neglectful host.”

“No, no of course not,” smiled Lydia.

Stiles drummed one last _rat-a-tat_ on the table before standing. “It was great seeing you, Lyds. Don’t be a stranger.”

He nodded at Allison as she returned with the drinks. Lydia stared at the glass placed in front of her, surprised by the long-forgotten emotions that this town was unlocking within her. She’d spent so long telling people she’d stayed away from Beacon Hills because of her parents’ divorce that she’d started to believe it herself.

____________________________________________________________________________

Say what you will about small towns but there was a certain magic that fell over them during the holidays. Their grocery store might’ve lacked the brand diversity of the large chains but it compensated with personalized decorations from the elementary school. She loved the smell of pine that followed her throughout the store, even if it was seemingly at odds with the scents of the bakery and produce.

Lydia glanced down at the list that her mom had pinned to the refrigerator. She still needed eggs, cream cheese, and Cool Whip. She also wanted to grab some of that pre-cut cookie dough, the ones that always had snowmen or reindeer on them. They might be baking cookies from scratch tonight but she couldn’t resist. Even if she wasn’t spending Christmas with her dad this year, she could still continue their tradition of sneaking down to the kitchen at midnight for a snack.

Turning down the frozen aisle, she pulled up short at the sight of one Stiles Stilinski pondering the display case with a perplexed look on his face.

“Fancy seeing you here,” Lydia called as she made her way towards him.

Turning in surprise, Stiles said, “Oh perfect! Come here, you have to help me. Which of these do you think will convince my dad that he’s not missing the deep-fried potato wedges he whips up every year?”

Lydia stood next to him, surprised again at the familiarity that accompanied Stiles’ presence.

“Well, I don’t really know that any steamed vegetable is really going to replace that…”

“Oh god, no.” Stiles waved his hands to dismiss the notion. “But I bought him an air fryer for Christmas and I wanted to show him how to make at least one knock-out dish. It’s like the only appliance I use at my apartment.”

Lydia stared at the shelves of frozen veggies, contemplating. “Buffalo cauliflower.”

“Lyds, you’re a genius!” said Stiles as his arms flailed in excitement.

Lydia chuckled softly, “I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before.”

After all, it was Stiles who first encouraged her to apply for Stanford. He’d been by her side as her shaking fingers hit submit on the application. He’d screamed his head off when she accepted her valedictorian medal. He’d stared in awe when she’d tried to help him with his Trig homework, amazed at the way she was able to explain ratios better than any teacher had ever been able to.

Stiles stared at her for a bit, an unreadable expression on his face. Was he remembering too? Did he miss the way they’d once shared everything? “Yeah. Having you in town… it’s almost like nothing’s changed at all.”

Lydia’s lips parted as she drew in a sharp breath. If only it were that easy.

“I should go,” she said. “My mom’s waiting on me.”

Stiles nodded, “I know you’re probably busy this week but if you feel like catching up, my number’s still the same.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Lydia paced the floor of her childhood room, unable to relax. This trip was turning out exactly the way she’d expected. She was happy her mom had found someone who loved her but watching their domestic bliss was just bringing back painful memories of everything she’d lost.

She wished she would’ve known that the Christmas during senior year was their last as a family. She would’ve looked up from her phone more, would’ve memorized every moment.

It wasn’t just her family that had made that Christmas so special, she realized. Stiles had played a big part in it too. They’d spent their days off from school sledding with friends, always volunteering to go get snacks so they’d have an excuse to sneak off and make out. She remembered the way the red and green lights had reflected in Stiles’ amber eyes as they drove to look at the decorated houses.

Her parents had invited Stiles and Mr. Stilinski over for Christmas Eve. Lydia had cried when she unwrapped Stiles’ present: a jewelry box with hand-carved images of The Little Mermaid. Months before, she’d told him that her favorite memories with her late grandmother were the times they read the book together. It was one thing to remember snippets of a random conversation but it was another entirely to buy her such a thoughtful present.

It was a powerful thing, having someone who knew you that well.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she was dialing Allison’s number.

“Hey what’s up?” she answered, concern coloring her voice. “Everything okay?”

“Do you have Stiles’ address? I know he has an apartment somewhere in town.” Lydia chewed on her lower lip as she waited for a response.

“You do know it’s 11 at night, right?”

“Yeah. I know,” Lydia said, shaking her head. “I know how insane this is but I have to see him, Allison.”

Allison sighed, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”  
____________________________________________________________________________

“Lydia? What are you doing here?” Stiles opened the door with a stunned expression on his face. He was dressed in joggers and his trademark flannel, Xbox remote still in his hand.

A few silent moments passed before he shook his head and gestured for her to come inside. Lydia looked around the small living room/kitchen with its mostly bare walls and mismatched IKEA furniture. It was a typical bachelor pad but still classic Stiles. She noted the aluminum baseball bat positioned by the door and the jeep-shaped key rack on the wall above it.

“Did you mean what you said?” Lydia turned to face him. He was staring at her like she was crazy and maybe she was. Years had passed with zero contact and now here she was, in his apartment at 11:15 on a Wednesday night.

Stiles squinted one eye as he replied, “You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific. I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed but I have this tendency to just go on and on and -”

“Did you mean it when you said seeing me felt like nothing had changed?”

Stiles nodded, a slight pout on his lips. She was close enough to hear his steady breath but not close enough to feel his warmth. It was a particularly cruel type of torture, to be so close without being able to touch him.

“So what if we…” Lydia trailed off. She looked to the ceiling, as if she’d be able to find the missing words there. “Can we pretend that nothing’s changed? Just for this week?”

She let her gaze fall back on Stiles, whose eyes raked over her face, scanning for answers. She watched as he swallowed, jaw clenching. Maybe this was a mistake. She knew she had no right to show up here, just like she had no place in his new life.

When she opened her mouth to speak again, he crossed the distance between them and kissed her. His hands cradled her jaw as hers drifted up into his hair. She savored the way his soft lips crashed against hers.

She found her body pressing against his as the muscle memory kicked in. How had she gone so long without this?

After a few moments, Stiles pulled back slightly and rested his forehead against hers. His voice rough, he whispered, “Yeah, just for this week.”

This time it was Lydia who leaned in, overwhelmed by just how much she had longed for this. Her hand traveled down, tracing his neck and exploring his newly broad shoulders. He slid his hand down her back in response.

His fingers ignited flames all over her body, sparking nostalgia and new excitement all at once. Her breath hitched, surprised at the power he had over her all these years later. When his hands traveled to her waist, she couldn’t stop the slight moan that escaped her lips as his thumb pressed into her hip bone.

Stiles drew back, dark eyes filled with mischief “See? I told you nothing’s changed.”

“Which means you know exactly where that’s going to lead to.” Lydia smirked up at him.

“That’s what you came here for, right?”

Her heart was pounding, adrenaline rushing through her body, but his comment made her sad for a reason she couldn’t quite place. That is why she came here. Wasn’t it?

Lydia nodded, not trusting that her voice was steady enough for a response.

“Why are we wasting time out here then?” asked Stiles, eyebrows raised suggestively.

He laced his fingers between hers and pulled her towards his bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> AH okay please let me know what you think about this fic!! I have not been able to stop listening to evermore and 'tis the damn season specifically and this idea would not. leave. me. alone.
> 
> There's going to be at least one, maybe two more chapters to this. @gmw24 I'm sure this is not what you were expecting when you requested a Christmas Stydia fic but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!


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